


366

by elyssblair



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-07
Updated: 2015-01-07
Packaged: 2018-03-05 14:32:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3123641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elyssblair/pseuds/elyssblair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>“You have to what?” Bucky demanded, sure he’d heard his best friend wrong.</i><br/>Steve ducked his head and mumbled into his chest. “I have to marry Loki. It’s only temporary.”</p><p> </p><p>Bucky decides to protect Steve's idealism by taking his place in a politically motivated handfasting to a spoiled prince of Asgard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	366

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aurilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurilly/gifts).



> So I saw Bucky/Loki, fake relationships and canon divergent AUs and this was came out. I don't know if it's what you had in mind, but I hope you like it:)

“You have to _what_?” Bucky demanded, sure he’d heard his best friend wrong.

Steve ducked his head and mumbled into his chest. “I have to marry Loki. It’s only temporary.”

“Loki? The Loki who invited Jotunn to Stark’s birthday party?”

Which, granted, had only led to a few socialites in compromising positions with a frost giant and a week’s worth of hysterical tabloid headlines. But it could easily have ended in violence.

“He’s not that bad, Buck,” Steve admonished, opening the fridge and reaching for a bottle of water.

“He’s a spoiled brat with serious sibling rivalry and self-esteem issues.” Bucky took a deep breath and tried to get back on track. “ _Why_ do you have to marry Loki?”

“The Asgardian’s settled a violent feud a race with a treaty that lasted a three hundred years. That agreement is about to expire and SHIELD is hosting the negotiations to extend the treaty. There are rumors the leader, Maxwell, is going to try to pressure Odin into agreeing to a marriage between Loki and his youngest daughter as a way to strengthen ties between them. If Loki is already married when the summit starts, it will derail him before he gets on a roll.”

Bucky glared in silence for several seconds while he sorted through all the things Steve wasn’t saying. “This was Fury’s idea, wasn’t it?”

Steve shrugged and took a long swallow from his water.

“I don’t know why you put with his shit,” Buck growled, running his hand through hair he now kept close cropped with obsessive zeal.

“Because SHIELD pulled me out of the ice. They helped me acclimate to a future I could never have imagined. And they protect people. Our country and the world are safer because of what they do. Even if Fury is a deceptive, manipulative son of a bitch most of the time, I can’t just abandon my duty.”

“Like I did,” Bucky said, voice dropping into a soft, hoarse whisper.

Steve looked stricken and stepped close to grip Bucky’s shoulder and shake his head emphatically.

“No, Buck. Your situation is completely different.”

Twisting his head from side to side, it popped satisfyingly and Bucky shoved the guilt back into a locked part of his brain, along with nearly a century of other stuff he’d rather not remember.

“You’re right. My situation was different. SHIELD wanted their all-American poster boy in you. Fury would have preferred to put a bullet in my head. Or use me as his own personal robot assassin. After you recovered me from…” Bucky took a deep breath and kept his body from shivering by pure strength of will.

“If you hadn’t fought to make them de-condition me, well, I wouldn’t have had the choice to refuse SHIELD’S offer of employment.” He crossed his arms over his chest and forced a smirk. “And then I would never have stumbled into my rewarding and fulfilling bartending career.”

“You know I would have torn SHIELD apart from the inside before I let them hurt you or used you like that. Fury and Coulson knew it, too.”

Bucky did know it. He and Steve had been looking out for each other for nearly a century. Some days, when the _other_ memories were a little too close to the surface, it felt like he knew Steve better than he knew himself. Which meant, he knew Steve was going to do whatever Fury felt was in their best interests. Even if Loki was an irritating little pain who set Steve’s teeth on edge every time he opened his mouth. And even if Steve took marriage and vows way more seriously than anyone in this century seemed to.

“I don’t suppose it’s a fake marriage, huh?” Bucky asked, bumping his shoulder against Steve’s in a silent apology.

“Technically, it’s a handfasting. Sort of a trial marriage that lasts for a year and a day. But it is real as far as Asgardians and their allies are concerned. And it will be sealed with Asgardian magic. Maxwell will be able to tell if it’s not authentic.”

“So, no faking it then,” Bucky sighed. Steve shrugged again, pretending it was no big deal. But Bucky saw the resignation in his eyes, the tension in his shoulders and regret in the pathetic smile he tried to pass off as real.

Damn, it. There was only one thing to do.

“Tell Fury I’ll do it, instead.”

Steve startled, eyes wide and confused. “What?”

“I’ll marry Loki, instead. Fury chose you for a reason. Well, it’s Fury, so multiple reasons. One, it gives him extra muscle in the room if negotiations go bad. Two, this Maxwell is not very likely to screw with someone with the bad-ass reputation you have. Three, your strong enough, smart enough and stubborn enough to go toe to toe with Loki and not put up with his shit.”

Bucky bypassed the fridge and opened the freezer, reaching for a bottle of vodka rather than water. “I can do all of that.”

“But you don’t even work for SHIELD…”

“Even better. Maxwell will have a harder time calling bullshit. I don’t have any horse in the race. He can’t claim I’m a puppet trying to manipulate Asgardian politics for SHIELD and Earth’s benefit.”

“You don’t have to do this for me.”

Bucky poured himself a healthy shot and knocked it back, letting the burn ease through him before turning to face Steve again.

“You saved my ass at least twice, so far. I’m not going to trust Loki with the virtue of yours.”

He smirked at Steve’s frown when his best friend worked that out and rolled his eyes. “Despite what Stark thinks, you know I’m not some blushing virgin, Bucky.”

“No. But you are an idealist. You believe in true love and happily ever after and the sanctity of marriage.”

“That’s not a bad thing.”

“No. No it’s not. Which is why I’m not going to let you sacrifice it for the sake of Fury’s political games.” He picked up Steve’s cell phone and tossed it in his hand a couple of times. “Do you want to call Nick, or do want me to?”

###

Fury acceded a little too quickly for Bucky’s peace of mind. Less than twenty-four hours after the conversation in their kitchen, he found himself crammed into the corner of the Director’s office with way too many other people.

Odin and Frigga took up the chairs in front of Fury’s desk, with Thor to Odin’s right and Loki on his mother’s left. Coulson and Hill stood behind the Director, managing to look both bland and alert at the same time. Two Asgardian warriors stood guard by the door, leaving Bucky and Steve to crush into the only corner not filled with file cabinets or book shelves.

In the center of the room, Fury was kicked back in his comfy leather chair, fingers steepled under his chin and looking a little too pleased with himself. Bucky was starting to wonder if he’d somehow gotten played.

Loki, on the other hand, was being a little shit, like usual.

“I didn’t agree to this to begin with. I am not an inanimate object to be passed around. I have no interest in being saddled to some ambitionless Midgardian riff-raff,” Loki snarled, not even bothering to glance in Bucky’s direction while insulted him.

Steve stiffened, ready as always to jump in and defend the unfairly maligned, but Bucky grabbed his arm and squeezed, wanting to see how things shook out.

Thor leaned forward see around his parents and beseech Loki. “Brother, this is about the good of our people. Avoiding a war should be the priority of a true prince of Asgard.”

Loki rolled his eyes and waved his hand. “Well, everyone knows I’m adopted.”

Frigga murmured something that made hint of regret flash in Loki’s eyes, before he shifted back into his perpetual sneer.

Odin’s commanding roar drowned out Frigga’s soft words. Then Fury tried to out-shout the king of Asgard, Thor jumped in again to plead with his brother’s sense of duty, and Loki sneered haughtily back. Even Hill and Coulson added to the cacophony. Steve’s entire body went rigid his face was turning red.

Enough was enough. Bucky stepped forward and cleared his throat, though the rough sound of it came out more like a growl. Totally an accident, of course. It did get everyone’s attention, however.

When all eyes in the room were on him with varying degrees of wariness, he let his glare sharpen into something a little more insistent and unyielding and said. “Give us a few minutes, huh?”

Quite a few glances were exchanged in silent debate, but eventually everyone filed out of the office. Fury, last in line, paused to glare at Bucky. “My office. Don’t fuck my shit up.”

He stomped out without another word, closing the door firmly behind him.

Loki turned on him as soon as they were alone, eyes laser sharp and lips peeled into a snarl.

“I don’t like being manipulated or maneuvered.”

“Neither do I.” He crossed his arms over his chest and watched Loki’s eyes follow the progress the metal one. Surprisingly, there was none of the usual disgust or horror that he grown used to. Just a mild curiosity that did nothing to displace the prince’s irritation.

Having been a pawn one to many time, himself, Bucky understood Loki’s reluctance. On the other hand, things could end up a lot worse for a lot more people. It was time Loki faced a few of those truths.

“Would you rather marry Maxwell’s daughter?”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “And that question isn’t manipulative at all. Of course I don’t want to marry her. She’s bland, vapid, vain and spoiled.”

Bucky’s lips curled into a smirk and Loki actually smiled slightly in return.

“Even more vain and spoiled than I am.”

The moment of shared amusement lingered and Bucky let his arms drop to his sides, palms out.

“Look. The situation isn’t ideal. But Maxwell knows how to play this game. If you don’t show up married or handfasted or whatever, he’s going to insist on marrying you of to Miss Bland and Vapid in order to tie Asgard to him in the name of peace. If you, and by extension, your father, refuse, he’s going to ask for a ton of concessions that might actually make them a threat to Asgard again. And if Odin refuses those concessions, a megalomaniac like Maxwell will have no qualms about starting a war he can’t win. One that will cost a hell of a lot lives on all sides unnecessarily.”

“Sacrifice myself for the good of the many? Most people don’t believe I have that kind of altruism.”

“Sacrifice? Really? Spending a year with me might be mildly irritating, I’ll give you that. But out an out sacrifice? C’mon.”

“A year _and_ a day.” Loki reminded him, lips twitching further into a smile, seemingly in spite of himself. “Though, it seems perhaps it won’t be quite as tedious as I feared.”

Loki looked him over, eyes narrowing slightly as he considered. “Why the change from Captain America to you? Was he Fury afraid I’d tarnish his national icon? Or did he think you could manage me better?”

“It was my idea. Steve is… he’s romantic and idealistic. Marriage means something to him and he would have taken it seriously.”

“And you won’t?”

There was a sharp edge to the question, a hurt quickly covered. An expectation of betrayal or rejection. An edge Bucky was used to. One he’d buried often enough whenever anyone looked away quickly from his arm or quaked in fear at the reminder of his… of the things the Winter Soldier had been capable of.

Perhaps he had more in common with the spoiled prince than he’d expected.

“I’ll take my vows seriously. And you. But I won’t feel like I’m breaking the spirit while upholding the letter of them.”

Loki tilted his head and glanced thoughtfully at the door. “As… irritating as idealism and romanticism can be in those we care about, it is also something that is painful to see broken or damaged in them.”

Bucky nodded in agreement, determined as always to protect Steve, even from his own sense of honor and duty.

“So, are we doing this, then?” he asked.

Loki looked him over slowly, eyes raking him from head to foot and back up again.

“I suppose,” he drawled. “A year and a day. And you will not embarrass me.”

“Hey, I’m Midgardian riff-raff, remember? I can’t make any promises,” Bucky laughed and held out his hand.

Loki took it without hesitation and the warmth flared along Bucky’s fingers. A frisson of awareness that made him really look at how attractive the prince was. Yeah, maybe this was going to be more interesting than he’d expected.

“I suppose we can’t let them stew out there for another hour or so,” Loki asked archly, not seeming to notice that his hand was still engulfed in Bucky’s.

“Well, I’d be all for leaving Fury to cool his heels until hell freezes over, but Steve’s probably already worn a hole in the carpet by now.”

“No doubt with Thor right beside him.”

Bucky sighed and let go of Loki before moving to open the door.

###

Frigga performed the ceremony. Right there in Fury’s office, which would have been the last place Bucky ever imagined for his first wedding. But Steve stood up as his best man and that was pretty much all he would have insisted on, so.

A soft glow settled around them while Frigga recited the binding ritual in a language Bucky didn’t understand. At the beginning, she’d instructed them to clasp hands and look into each other’s eyes. It had been awkward at first, and he’d had to swallow down the uncomfortable chuckle that wanted to escape. But the more she spoke, the more he relaxed. Loki seemed to feel the effects, as well, and by the time Frigga was winding down, they had shifted closer, all but leaning into each other.

The last of the chant faded away, dropping the room into sudden silence and the glow brightened around them until it was almost blinding. Then it collapsed into a small ball around their joined hands before fading completely, leaving behind identical gold tracings across both of their fingers. He’d have to ask what it meant. Later.

“You may kiss the groom,” Fury muttered into the silence, breaking the moment with his sarcasm.

Bucky flicked an irritated glare at him, before looking back at Loki, who raised an eyebrow in a silent dare.

What the hell, in for a penny…

Bucky tightened his grip on Loki’s hands and tugged him closer, until they pressed close. Then he released one hand and reached up, sliding his fingers into the soft hair at the base of Loki’s neck, easing him down until their lips touched.

The warm glow that had evaporated from the room reappeared in his stomach, a slow simmering heat that electrified him from the inside out. His skin and brain continued to buzz even after the kiss ended. Bucky was pretty sure he was in trouble.

Luckily, Loki looked as shocked and off-balance as he felt.

Maybe the next three hundred and sixty-six days would be more interesting than he expected.


End file.
